Ascentia
by Zorua with a Pen
Summary: In the middle of the ocean lies the Ascentia Archipelago, and the Ascentia League. Having recently moved there with his parents, upstart, and late start, trainer Joseph Clark sets out to prove that it's never to late to follow your dreams.
1. Chapter 00: Run

She ran.

She could hear them panting behind her, her scent easily traced by their Pokémon.

Barks. Cries of "There it is!". They had her again.

So she ran faster. She could sense them rapidly approaching from behind her.

"Incinerate!" one yelled.

A fireball shot past her, collided with a tree. She felt the heat wash over her and sting her new body as she made it run on it's new, powerful hind legs.

Then they were catching up.

She ran. She prayed silently that running would be enough.


	2. Chapter 01: Start New Game

Far south of the Sinnoh Isles, and just southeast of the Unova Peninsula, lies the two large and many small islands that make up the Ascentia Region. Similar in size to Kanto or Johto, but not connected to another region like they are, the Ascentia Archipelago is the smallest collection of islands in history to posses it's own dedicated Pokémon League. Despite technically being the newest League, due to the rarity of a region opening one, the Ascentia League has already been active for 31 years.

Being a natural crossroads for inter-regional travel, like the Orre and Oblivia regions, Ascentia, despite having no 'native' Pokémon of it's own, is home to Pokémon from at it's six different 'surrounding' regions: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova and Kalos, making it one the most biologically diverse regions on the planet...

* * *

"_So come visit Ascentia today! Tickets from Vermilion City Harbour to Hagane Port begin at jus-_"

I turned the TV off, content not to hear another 'Visit Ascentia' advert. After all, I, as of recently, lived there now.

Where are my manners? I'm Joseph. Joseph Clark. I'm seventeen, late starter for a trainer, and I now live in Sutalo Town in Ascentia Region, on the west side of South Island, the second largest in the archipelago. I'm not staying here long though. That's part of the deal.

You see, my mother is from Ascentia originally, while my dad is from Unova. My mom had 'forbidden' me from entering the Unova League, even when I was well past the legal age, 10, to participate. Then, just a few months ago, my mom decided she wanted to return to her hometown. I agreed to the big move on one condition: I was allowed to participate in the Ascentia League instead. She agreed, and so, here we are. Mom and I moved over to Sutalo first, and Dad, who volunteered to stay behind and 'close up shop', arrives next week.

I heard a noise that sounded like a whoosh of water outside, and ran to the window.

"Vaporeon, if you're drenching everything again..." I call down.

"It's alright Joseph, he's just helping me out with some gardening!" My mom, Abbi Clark, called up.

Vaporeon, at this point my only Pokémon, is a quadrupedal Pokémon with three small toes on each foot and dark blue paw pads on his hind feet. His body is light blue with dark blue ridge around its head and as a ridge down its back. He has a white ruff around its neck, and three fins around his head made of cream-colored webbing. Tied around his neck is a Splash Plate, cut into 1-inch by 1-inch square beads, strung into a necklace, which boosts his Water-Type moves,Water Pulse and Hydro Pump. His other moves are Ice Beam and Acid Armour. My mom is a jeweller, and made me six of them. You see, I've already decided that I want a Fire, Water, Flying, Fairy, Fighting and Dark-Type as my team. So I have five more, made of a Flame, Sky, Pixie, Fist and Dread Plate.

"Mom!" I called down, "Vaporeon and I are leaving soon, K?"

"Alright, sweety, just give me a minute! I've got a present for you before you leave!"

"Cool! Just let me get dressed!"

I quickly changed out of my pyjamas and put on clean underwear, cuffed jeans, my brown boots, a white t-shirt with a black number 1 on the back, my favourite blue zipped jacket, and slung my black messenger bag over my shoulder. Around my waist I tied my Trainer Belt, a custom belt Mom had helped me create. It had six clips for my team, a pouch for a National Pokédex, which I had already received from Professor Cedric Juniper, our neighbor back in Unova, and another pouch for my Xtransceiver. I ran downstairs to find Mom and Vaporeon waiting for me at the bottom of the steps.

"Well, I guess this is it for a while then, huh, sweetie?" Mom said with a sigh.

"Hey, don't worry Mom," I replied, "I'll be back before yo- uff!" I breathed, as my Mom drew me into an unexpected, tight hug.

"Stay safe, Joseph." she whispered.

"I will, Mom." I assured her.

"Good." she replied. "Oh, your present! Here." She handed me a Luxury Ball.

"What's th- oh. Right." I realised it's significance quickly. Vaporeon wasn't officially mine, and had never had a Poké Ball before now.

"Ready Vaporeon?" I asked him.

"Por!" he replied, nodding.

"OK. Luxury Ball, go!" I yelled. I tossed the ball into the air, and Vaporeon leapt up to meet it, touching the circle on the front. He glowed red, and then was absorbed into the ball. It hit the carpet and shook briefly, before I heard the 'Ding!' of a successful capture. I picked up, and connected it to my belt.

"And here are ten more." she added, handing me a pouch of Luxury Balls "The pouch they're in will connect to your belt."

"Alright, now we're ready to rock and roll." I said, clipping the Luxury Balls to my belt. "Thanks Mom. I'll see you soon, don't worry about it."

"I'll try. Be safe."

* * *

She kept running, as fast as her legs would physically allow her, but it still wasn't enough, as the Pokémon and humans on her tail pursued her with an unbreakable will.

She saw another human ahead, not in uniform like the others. A trainer. Maybe he could help her.

With the last of her strength, she ran for him at full speed.

* * *

Around half an hour later, I was walking along Route 1, the road between Sutalo and the neighbouring town, Denorma City. Vaporeon's Luxury Ball was secured safely to my belt, and I was walking along at a brisk pace, excited to finally be beginning my journey.

Quite suddenly, I heard a rustle in the grass to my left.

"What the..." I began, attempting to unclip Vaporeon's Ball from my belt.

A tall, blue-furred Pokémon appeared out of nowhere, tackling into me, and knocking me off of my feet. Locked together, we rolled along the ground a few feet before coming to an eventual stop with it lying beside me.

"P-please..." a female voice suddenly said, "They... ngh... they're coming. H-help me... please." It took me a second to realise it was coming from the Pokémon itself. It was a bipedal, canine Pokémon, with fur that was predominantly blue and black. It had a short, round spike on the back of each forepaw, in addition to a third on its chest, a long muzzle and ears and cream-colored fur on its torso. It had four small black appendages lying out to either side of its head.

Just then, two men in orange-red tuxedos, with identically-coloured shades and hair, ran out of the trees where the Pokémon had appeared not a moment ago. They were followed by a woman with a tutu-style, similarly-coloured uniform, azure blue hair and a sort of blue... visor over her eyes. Something told me they were the 'they' that the voice mentioned.

"Ah," she said in a slightly unnerving tone, "There you are, deary."

I struggled to my feet and put myself between the strange Pokémon and these equally strange people.

"Oh oh oh?" she added, "and who might you be, handsome?"

"I don't know who you are, or what you want with this... Pokémon, I'm not letting you near it."

"Oh, I see. I am Mable, scientist of Team Flare, and... hm... I suppose I'll have to move you. Houndour, be a dear and move him aside for me, won't you sweetie?"

From behind her stepped a canine Pokémon, black-furred and decked out in natural armour. I scanned it with my Dex.

_**"Houndour, the Dark Pokémon. Houndour travel in packs lead by a single Houndoom, and communicate though barks in order to surround their prey."**_

"Houndours are Fire and Dark-Types." I mused, unclipping a Luxury Ball from my belt, "So, you're up, Vaporeon!" I yelled, tossing it into the air. Vaporeon rapidly materialised in a flash of blue light.

"Vay-por!" he said, throwing his head back and straightening out his neck ruff.

"Going for type advantage, eh? Clever, but it won't be enough." Mable announced confidently.

"One on one, no substitutions. If I win, you leave it be. Got it?" I asked.

"Fine. Houndour, Incinerate!"

**MUSIC: Battle! Team Flare- X&Y OST**

"Vaporeon, wait." I ordered.

The ball of fire launched from the Houndour's mouth , shooting towards Vaporeon.

"Now, Acid Armour!" I yelled. He quickly glowed blue and seemed to melt. The fire lanced over his head and hit the tree behind him.

"Up, and two Water Pulses: one behind you and the other in front!" I called. He quickly reformed and launched a sphere of water from his tail behind himself. It collided with the now-burning tree and doused it, as he launched another with a flick of his tail at the Houndour.

"Catch it with Ice Fang!" Mable ordered. The Houndour caught it in it's mouth, and it froze solid.

"Next, break it with another Ice Fang!" The Houndour complied, cracking the ice holding it's jaws together.

"Excellent! Now, I know it's not going to effect much, but let's speed up with Flame Charge!" she shouted.

"Counter it with Hydro Pump!" I returned. Vaporeon launched a large jet of water from his mouth, colliding with and neutralising the charging Houndour's fiery aura. It stopped in it's tracks, panting.

"Ice beam it's feet!" I called, quickly developing a new strategy. A ball of supercooled energy formed in front of Vaporeon's mouth, firing a chilled beam at the Houndour. Though it wasn't very effective, it succeeded in freezing all four of it's legs in place.

"Rrgh... try... try and use Incinerate to get a leg free!" Mable yelled.

"Water Pulse, finish this!"

Vaporeon leapt in to the air, launching the ball of water from his tail with a front flip. It collided with the Houndour's head, knocking him out cold.

"Ah, Houndour, no! Rrgh..." she growled, before eventually sighing "Fine. We're... going."

Battle! Team Flare fades to silence.

"Bu-but ma'am," one of the uniformed men said, "the bosses orders were to-"

"I know, I know. Houndour, can you hear me?"

"D-dour..." it shakily replied, getting to it's feet.

"Good. Smog, then return." she ordered. The Houndour breathed out a large cloud of black smoke, which quickly enveloped the surrounding air.

"Vaporeon, quick; Hydro Pump, straight up!" I ordered. The jet of water shot into the air, falling back down like rain and quickly dispersing the Smog. However, Mable, Houndour and their allies had already vanished.

I breathed a sigh of relief, before turning to face the now-unconscious Pokémon I had just rescued. It... she, I guessed, purely on the voice, had her fur singed in a few places, thankfully not through to the skin, and a few ice crystals clung to the fur on one leg, likely from that Houndour's Ice Fang. I needed to get her to the Pokémon Center in Denorma, fast.

"Great work, Vaporeon. Return for now and get some rest."

"Por." he replied, glowing red as he returned to his Ball.

I quickly scanned the Pokémon at my feet with my Dex, so I knew what I was dealing with.

_**"Lucario, the Aura Pokémon, and the evolved form of Riolu. Lucario have the power to detect their opponent's thoughts and actions by reading their auras."**_

I picked up the Lucario in a fireman's lift, and started running down Route 1 as fast as I could.


	3. Chapter 02: We Hope to See You Again

I ran into Denorma still traveling at a decent speed. People noticed the wounded Lucario in my arms and parted to let me pass as I made my way towards the local Pokémon Center. Eventually, I reached the familiar sliding glass doors, and stormed through as they opened in front of me.

"Has anyone seen the nurse?" I yelled immediately. Thankfully, two medical staff and a Pokémon, which I quickly identified as a Blissey, rushed to my aid, carrying away the wounded Lucario on a stretcher as I explained the previous half-hour's events to the head nurse.

"So that Lucario isn't yours then?" she asked once my story was done.

"No, ma'am," I replied, "she was running from that blue-haired person I mentioned and crashed in to me, that's all. I felt like I needed to help her."

"Her?" she repeated.

"Yeah it-" I hesitated, then replied "-it spoke."

"It did? There have been talking Lucario for centuries, but I've never actually met one." she replied, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"She will recover, right?" I asked, worried.

"Of course she will," the nurse assured me, "The healing machines at the Centers across Ascentia are some of the most advanced in the world. She'll make a full recovery; I guarantee it."

* * *

I sat around in the Center's lobby with Vaporeon practicing Acid Armour for around 15 minutes, before one of the two staff members and the Blissey from before appeared.

"The Lucario you brought in? It- sorry, she, is asking for you. You can come in now." the man informed me.

"Alright. Vaporeon, stay here for a sec, OK?"

"Vay-por." he replied, nodding.

I followed the Blissey to a room around the back. She opened the sliding, frosted glass door by pressing a button at the side, I stepped inside and she closed it behind me. The Lucario sat meditating in the center, surrounded in a blue aura, the four tassle-looking things floating out to the sides.

"Hello." she said, opening her eyes and bringing herself to her feet. The tassles lowered to their normal place, and the aura dissipated.

"Hi." I replied, "are you... feeling OK?"

"Never better. I don't know what I would have done if they had succeeded in recapturing me. I am in your debt," she replied, bowing her head and putting one hand across her chest, "Thank you."

"Wait, 'Recapturing'? What do you mean?" I asked her.

She bowed her head again, a frown on her face. "This morning, I was a Riolu. Those... Flare people captured me last night while I was asleep. When I awoke, I was in a metal room, with some form of dish affixed to the ceiling. Alongside me were a Deino and a Roselia. There was a woman, like that Mable one from before, behind a window on the far side of the room, except she had green hair and a set of green glasses with some kind of display on the inside. She pulled a switch, and the dish began to emit some kind of wave, that left me felling nauseous. Next thing I know, the two of them are bathed in a aqua-blue light, one after the other. Soon it envelops me too, and less than a minute later, they are a Roserade and Zweilous and I look like... this." she gestured to the spike protruding from her chest, then cupped two of the tassles in her hand and lifted them.

"So, it was some kind of..." I searched for the right word, "forced-evolution device?" I said after a moment.

"I believe so." she replied simply.

"I'm sorry. If I ever see those creeps again..." I growled.

"I doubt you won't. Which is precisely why I'm coming with you." she declared.

"What? Are... are you serious? A-are you sure?" I stuttered. A new teammate so early in my journey? I couldn't believe my luck.

"Of course I am. I do owe you one, don't I? And I feel like enacting some well-deserved vengeance myself. What do you say?" she asked, holding out a paw.

I raised my hand to meet it. "Welcome to the team, Lucario."

"Not quite. You do still need to capture me." she reminded me.

"Oh yeah. Right." I reached into one pouch and retrieved an empty Luxury Ball.

"Luxury Ball, go!" I called, for the second time that day. Lucario caught it in her left paw, and hit the button with her right. The red light surrounded her, and she was absorbed into the ball. A second later came the 'Ding!' of my second successful capture of the day.

"Alright, come back out for now, Lucario." I said, throwing the ball back into the air. Lucario reappeared in front of me. The ball bounced once before I caught it mid-ascent.

"I assume your other Pokémon is outside?" Lucario asked.

"Yeah. C'mon." I replied. Soon the two were face to face, although there was quite the height difference.

"Por-ee-on." he said to her.

"Pleasure to meet you too." she replied, "I saw you battle. That Acid Armour is fast."

"Por." he replied, puffing out his chest like nobility at the compliment.

"So, what now?" she asked, turning to face me.

"Well, first order of the afternoon is to catch team member number three." I informed her.

"A third? What for?"

"Gym battles have three rounds, and you have to use a new Pokémon each round, so in the event of a tiebreaker, I need a third Pokémon."

"Right. So, any ideas?" she asked.

"Fire, Flying, Fairy or Dark, because of my- oh! That reminds me. Here, this is for you," I said, handing her the Fist Plate necklace, "It boosts Fighting-Type moves."

She looped it over her ears and let it fall around her neck.

"Thank you, it's lovely. I already feel like I could take out a wall with this thing!" she said, punching the air for emphasis.

"Well alright. Return for now, you two, it's time to make this a party of four!"


	4. Chapter 03: Rival Wants to Fight

I walked around the forested area of Route Two, searching for another member to add to my growing team. Lucario walked alongside me, eyes closed and tassles floating out to either side of her head. She was practicing her ability to 'see' people in the surrounding area on their aura alone. So far, we'd had no more luck than a few Patrat and a Hoothoot, which were quickly defeated or fled. I had quickly discovered that I didn't know Lucario's moves, and, unfortunately, neither did she. Through trial and error, we now knew three: Metal Claw, Force Palm, and, impressively for what the Pokédex described as her 'level', Copycat. According to the Dex's analysis, Lucario's abilities were graded at a skill level of 15, and she shouldn't learn Copycat until Level 19, and only as a Riolu. Our best assumption was that Team Flare's device was to blame. This caused Lucario to worry about her new potential strength. It was, to her, like putting a toddler in command of a Latias.

"I'm not as strong as one of them, but the metaphor still applies." she had said.

"Relax," I had replied, "you'll be fine if you stay calm."

And that was precisely what she was doing: walking silently along, eyes closed and mind apparently clear. Perhaps her last move was Calm Mind? It would be a safe assum-

"I sense something nearby," she informed me suddenly, eyes snapping open and tassles falling back behind her head, "It is exuding a... very black aura. Perhaps it is a Dark-Type?"

"Maybe. Or Ghost." I said, readying an empty Luxury Ball.

The bush to my right began to jolt and shake as something fought it's way through. Lucario closed her eyes again and focused, and a set of talon-looking claws made of pure energy arced out around her paws like gauntlets.

"Wait." I ordered. The Metal Claw dissipated, and with a final slash, the bushes parted to reveal a purple, feline Pokémon. Its head had tufted fur on its ears and cheeks, and there were long, tapered violet markings above its eyes. It had a diminutive black nose on its cream-coloured muzzle, and a small, oval, cream-coloured marking above each green eye. Its neck, shoulders, back, and hind paws were also cream-colored. The tip of its tail had a curved, vaguely scythe-like extension

"Who's this? Is that..." I asked, retrieving my Dex from it's pouch.

_**"Purrloin, the Devious Pokémon. Purrloin enjoy fooling people into letting their guard down so they can steal any valuable possessions they have. When angered, it uses its claws to fight back."**_

"I don't like the sound of that." Lucario muttered. She stepped between me and it, the Metal Claws flaring back in to existence.

"Purrloin! Where've you gone this time? Come back!" A voice yelled from the trees. A girl, maybe a year or so younger than me at a guess, came charging out of the trees behind the feline. She had long hair, dyed deep purple and tied in a ponytail behind her head, and she was wearing an open white parka with a cyan blue dress underneath, white leggings and shin-high black leather boots.

"Is this Purrloin yours?" she asked.

"Um... no, why?" I replied, watching in amusement as Lucario hid the twin Metal Claws behind her back as they dissipated.

"Oh, I've been trying to catch it for an hour now, but it keeps running off. I'm researching Pokémon that evolve by using stones. I wanted to catch it to evolve it into Liepard with a Dusk Stone so it can be stronger." she said.

"Purr-rr-rr-rr-rr!" The Purrloin laughed.

"Wait, what's so funny?" I asked.

"Purrloin don't evolve with a Dusk Stone." I replied with a smirk.

"They don't? Aw, great. There goes an hour of both our lives. Sorry Purrloin. I'll stop chasing you now." the girl replied.

"Purr." It replied, shrugging it's shoulders and sauntering off through the trees.

"You're only after Pokémon that evolve through using evolutionary stones?" I asked.

"Well, I am researching them after all." she replied. "I'm Amanita, by the way."

"Amanita? I know you, you're Fennel's little sister, the one that made the Unova PC system, right?"

"How did you know all that?" she asked.

"I just moved here from Numeva Town, and I've been up to Accumula Town a dozen or so times."

"Oh, you're Abbi and Michael's kid! Joseph, right?"

"Yeah, that's me." I confirmed.

"Cool. Hey, I know, we should have a battle!"

"Right now? I only have two Pokémon though..." I said.

"That's OK, I've got three, but I'll use two. Sound good?" Amanita offered.

"OK, you're on! Vaporeon, let's rock!" I yelled, releasing him from his Ball.

"Oh wow, an Eevee evolved form! Cool! Water Stone equals Vaporeon. So, In that case, I'll fight with my own Eevee evolution! Sylveon, your assistance please!" she called, throwing her own Poké Ball. The beam it shot out solidified into a quadruped, mammalian Pokémon covered in pale, cream-colored fur with pinkish feet, ears, and tail. There were two bows on it's body, one on its left ear and one around its neck, from which two feelers adorned it. The bows were pale cream with pinkish centers, while the feelers were pale cream with pinkish and blue tips. It had short, slender legs and small paws with three toes on each foot. Its eyes were blue with white pupils and no visible sclera. It's pink tail wass slightly curved in a crescent shape.

"Syl-vee-ah!" It called with a smile.

"Huh, cool. So this is another of Eevee's evolutions." I said, opening my Dex again.

_**"Sylveon, the Intertwining Pokémon, and an evolved form of Eevee. Sylveon are very affectionate towards their trainers, and use their four ribbonlike feelers almost as though they were arms."**_

"We'll have to be wary of those feelers, Vaporeon. Let's hit it from a distance. Water Pulse, go!"

**Music: Battle! Rival Brendan/May Cover - Drpez12**

Vaporeon flipped in mid-air, launching the sphere of water from his tail. Sylveon's eyes widened in surprise.

"Dodge it!" Amanita yelled. Sylveon leapt gracefully to the side, the sphere of water impacting a good few meters off target.

"Now, use a Pixilated Quick Attack to get close!" Amanita called. Sylveon glowed white briefly, before it, weirdly, turned a lightish pink, and rushed forward at a blisteringly fast pace.

"Wait for it, Vaporeon." I ordered. He stood fast as his opponent approached closer and closer.

"Now, Acid Armour!" Vaporeon dissapeared, and Sylveon shot over where he had been standing.

"Impressive." Amanita noted.

"Up and Hydro Pump!" I continued. Vaporeon reappeared a meter behind Sylveon, launching a jet of water at it's back legs. It stumbled, and was washed into a tree trunk by the forceful jet of water.

"Oh no, Sylveon!" Amanita called. Sylveon brought itself shakily to it's feet. It regained it's bearings and turned to face Vaporeon.

"Alright," she declared, "I've had just about enough! Sylveon, Attract!"

Sylveon was suddenly bathed in a pink aura. It winked, and a ring of hearts was fired towards a surprised Vaporeon. It quickly surrounded, and then landed on him. I watched, stunned, as Vaporeon's usually dark-blue irises turned the same pink as the aura. He stared at Sylveon with an affectionate gaze.

"Hmph, figured Vaporeon was male." Amanita said.

"So, your Sylveon's a female then?" I asked.

"Which is precisely why the Attract worked," Lucario confirmed from beside me, "Vaporeon is now completely infatuated with her."

I groaned. "Come on Vaporeon, snap out of it! Use Ice Beam, quick!" I called.

"Vaaaaaay-poooooor..." he mumbled in response, still smitten with the Pokémon in front of him.

"Now, Pixilated Swift!" Amanita called.

"What does she mean by 'Pixilate'?" I thought aloud, mostly asking Lucario in case she knew.

"Oh," Amanita replied, hearing me, "Sylveon's ability is called Pixilate. It turns Normal-Type moves like Swift into Fairy-Type moves. Therefore, due to Sylveon's Fairy-Type and the attack's Fairy-Type matching, it's power is increased!"

"That would explain the odd Quick Attack..." I mused.

"Right again. Sylveon, fire!" Sylveon loosed an array of star-shaped rays of energy, which rapidly collided with a helpless Vaporeon. He stood there and took the attacks, still smiling sheepishly at Sylveon.

"Finish him off, Sylveon. Draining Kiss!" Amanita ordered. Sylveon strutted towards Vaporeon, before closing her eyes and planting a kiss on his lips. He blushed and closed his eyes, returning it, but I noticed his energy flow out of his body like tendrils and into the ribbon on her left ear. He collapsed, smiling and blushing like an idiot, yet unable to continue.

"Wow... she's powerful." I muttered.

"No doubt." Lucario replied.

"You ready?" I asked. Lucario nodded, then dashed forwards as I returned Vaporeon.

"Um... hey, Joseph?" Amanita asked.

"Yeah?"

"You mind if I bring out my third to watch? She's new to battling, and needs the experience." she told me.

"Sure" I replied.

"Cool. OK, Vulpix, come on out and watch and learn!" She yelled. This Poké Ball revealed a small, quadruped, fox-like Pokémon. It had a red-brown pelt, brown, pupil-less eyes, large, pointed ears with dark brown insides, and six orange tails with curled tips.

_**"Vulpix, the Fox Pokémon,"**_ my Dex informed me, _**"With it's six tails and beautiful reddish coat, Vulpix are popular among Fire-Type Contest Coordinators."**_

"Now watch carefully Vulpix; Sylveon, Lucario, Joseph and I are going to demonstrate a proper battle."

"Pix." it replied, nodding and turning its attention to our impromptu battlefield.

"Alright, let's go, Sylveon! Attract again!" Amanita called.

"Take the hit, Lucario." I said. This time, when the ring hit Lucario, nothing happened.

"What?" Amanita asked in surprise.

"Now, Metal Claw!" I yelled. Lucario rushed forward, the claws looking like they burst right out of her hands.

"Sorry, sweetie," I heard Lucario say, striking Sylveon sideways across the face, "You just really aren't my type."

Sylveon flew backwards, landing on her hind legs, where she immediately collapsed unconscious.

"Sylveon! But... how?" Amanita asked me as she returned a dazed Sylveon to her ball.

"Lucario's female. You... didn't notice? She spoke earlier." I replied.

"She what? I never heard anything..." she said.

"Oh, sorry... Amanita, was it? I'm not used to this quite yet." I heard Lucario say. Amanita's eyebrows shot up.

"OK, I heard that," she replied, "but... how come I couldn't befo- Oh! I get it! It's telepathy, isn't it?" she asked. It was at this point that I noticed something startling that I hadn't beforehand: whenever Lucario and I had talked for the six or seven hours we had known each other, her mouth hadn't moved once. I mentally scolded myself for not noticing sooner.

"It is. Sorry if I've confused either of you, I thought you knew." Lucario said.

"It's OK." Amanita replied. She composed herself and stood straighter. Another Poké Ball was retrieved from her belt.

"All right then, Eelektrik, it's your turn! Your assistance, please!" Amanita called, throwing it into the air. This one contained a blue-black, eel-like Pokémon with a beige underbelly. Its round, toothy, leech-like mouth had red lips, and its eyes had small pupils with yellow circle patterning around them, as well as spots. Beige fins extended from above and below its head, and its body was decorated with three yellow spots on the side, and a red tail fin that resembled a fan.

"Interesting." I said, opening my dex for the fourth time in as many minutes.

_**"Eelektrik, the EleFish Pokémon. Against enemies or predators, Eelektrik's first instincts are to coil around them and shock them. It lives in caves and marine environments."**_

"An Electric-Type then, huh? Steel moves like Metal Claw won't be as effective. In that case... Lucario, Force Palm, go!" Lucario approached Eelektrik from the side and landed a straight-palm punch on Eelektrik's flank. As soon as it connected, a small concussive blast sent Eelektrik tumbling back.

"Oh no! Come on Eelektrik, keep your distance! Use Charge, and then Thunder Shock!" Amanita instructed. Eelektrik glowed light yellow, it's cheeks sparking. It then loosed an overcharged jolt of lightning, aiming it directly towards Lucario.

"Oh, hell!" she yelled, leaping sideways and cartwheeling back on to her feet. The bolt of electricity stuck the ground less than a meter from where Lucario now stood.

"Ok, Copycat!" I yelled. Lucario nodded, and was surrounded by a white aura, which turned yellow to symbolise an Electric attack. She held one hand outward and an electric bolt fired from her palm. It connected with Eelektrik, who cried out in surprise.

"Again!" I ordered. Another bolt flew forth, aiming straight for Eelektrik.

"Quick! Eelektrik, absorb this one with Charge!" Amanita countered. Eelektrik glowed yellow once more, absorbing the Thunderbolt and doubling the power of the Charge.

"Now, use Discarge!" Amanita yelled. It loosed off a collection of powerful yet miniature Thunder Shocks in varied directions. Two struck Lucario square in the chest, another in her arm, and another in her upper left leg. She cried out in pain in her normal, non-telepathic voice, and collapsed to her knees.

"Lucario! Are you alright?" I asked worriedly.

"I'm..." she began, then grunted in pain. She brought her self unsteadily to her feet. "I'm fine." she finished, her tassles and hand-spikes glowing blue.

"Lucario? What... what's going on?" I asked. However, she ignored me, holding her hands together in front of her. Between them, an orb of blue energy formed. She growled through gritted fangs, and the sphere slowly increased in size unit it was roughly the size of one of Vaporeon's Water Pulses. With a roar, she threw it straight at Eelektrik.

"Arceus... Eelektrik, break that thing quick! Use Electro Ball!" Amanita hurriedly called out. Eelektrik panicked slightly, before focusing and launching a ball of electricity at it, which collided with the blue sphere. However, the spere of energy simply burst through the attack and kept going. It slammed into Eelektrik and exploded, sending it hurtling backwards, where it was knocked into a tree, unconscious.#

**Battle! Rival Brendan/May ends.**

"How... How the..?" was all I could muster. Lucario's arms fell back to her sides, and she just stood there, panting heavily, before, after about ten seconds or so, turning around and running right at me, a huge smile on her muzzle and her hooked tail wagging like it was possesed. She pulled me into a hug.

"Did you _see_ that?" she thought-yelled ecstatically.

"Yeah. Uh... wow. That was.. what was that?"

"Wow... Joseph, that was an Aura Sphere! And a Arceus-damned incredible one at that! Where'd you teach your Lucario how to do something like that?" Amanita called over.

"I honestly have no idea. She must have learned it when she evolved. Did you know that before then?" I asked.

"No, I didn't. I... Oh no. Hang on. Eelektrik!" Lucario called over to it, breaking away from the hug. However, it was already awake, and levitating back over towards us.

"Trik?" it asked.

"I just wanted to apologise for going a bit overboard there at the end. Are youu alright?"

"Lek-eel." It replied, half nodding, half moving it's body so it looked like it was nodding.

"I'm glad. Sorry." Lucario apologised.

"Ee-el."

"Alright, Eelektrik, return." Amanita called. Eelektrik was reabsorbed into it's ball, and Amanita re-clipped to her belt with a sigh.

"Good battle, Joseph. I don't think me or my team were expecting the double KO there. Your Lucario is something else for Level 15."

"How did you know that?" I asked.

"I checked out Vaporeon while you checked Sylveon, and Lucario while you checked Vulpix." she replied, holding up a Pokédex of her own.

_**"Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokémon, and an evolved form of Eevee. Adapted for aquatic environments, Vaporeon are powerful swimmers, and their unique molecular structure allows them to melt away like water and reform."**_

_**"Lucario, the Aura Pokémon, and the evolved form of Riolu. Lucario have the power to detect their opponent's thoughts and actions by reading their auras."**_

"Oh, well, thank you." I replied.

"So, I presume you're challenging the league?" Amanita asked, putting her Dex back in her coat pocket.

"Yeah. I'm out here looking for a third Pokémon to get started."

"You don't need one for the first gym. Traditionally, its whichever pokémon you picked as your starter vs, one of the gym leader's ones. Its the only 1-v-1 gym in the league."

"Oh. So, I practically get my third for free?" I asked. "Huh. I guess my search was for nothing too. Heh heh."

"Yeah, I guess." she chuckled in reply. "At least our battle was fun. Rematch sometime?"

"Count on it." I assured her, heading off with a wave back towards Denorma City.


End file.
